THE HELMSMAN Publication of the Broward County Council—Navy League of the United States Glenn Wiltshire, President APRIL 2015 Marianne Giambrone, Editor Volume 26 Issue 4 www.bcnavyleague.org [email protected] APRIL EVENT FLEET WEEK Dinner Meeting Thursday, April 9, 2015 Junior Officers’ Reception Cocktail hour 6:30pm Dinner 7:15 pm Tuesday, May 5, 2015 Tropical Acres Restaurant 6:00 – 8:00 PM 2500 Griffin Road, Fort Lauderdale Guest Speaker Captain Melissa Bert USCG Briny Irish Pub Restaurant Chief of Staff 305 South Andrews Avenue. Seventh Coast Guard District Fort Lauderdale (Las Olas Riverfront Dinner Selections on the New River) Prime Rib Mahi Mahi Two Free Drinks for Guests in Uniform Members and Guests - $35.00 Active Military and Spouses - $25.00 Cash Bar for Civilians Please RSVP your dinner choice on or before April 2 by emailing Free Buffet for All [email protected] or calling Joan at 561-336-3610 Entertainment For more information contact Erwin Sefton at 954-868-2107 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Fleet Week is closing fast, with the final planning As always, please feel free to contact me at 718 meeting scheduled by the Navy and Broward Navy -619-7402 or at [email protected] if you have Days for April 7th to finalize the schedule for the any ideas on what our Council should be doing to numerous events that will run from May 4-10, make your membership more valuable to you. 2015. Volunteers are still needed to assist with tours, special events, etc. So far, I've had a Glenn Wiltshire couple members step forward to staff our table, CAPT, US Coast Guard Retired where we will once again be selling cold drinks and Broward County Council President coins, but still need additional Council volunteers to staff the table and donate soda and water. In ad- dition to this being a fundraiser for our youth pro- grams, it's also is an opportunity to recruit new members, so let me know if you are available. Volunteers are needed Wednesday through Satur- day. Erwin Sefton is also coordinating our hosting of the Junior Officers Party at Briny's on Tues- day, May 5th, and there will be numerous other events throughout the week for members to par- ticipate at. See www.browardnavydaysinc.org for a complete list of events. NEW MEMBER Thanks to all who were able to make it to our March meeting hosted by BCNL member Graeme Welcome to our newest member: Holman at the STAR Center in Dania Beach for dinner and a tour of the outstanding facilities used James Santucci to train American's merchant mariners. It's al- ways great to see this outstanding facility that trains thousands of US and non-US merchant mar- We ask all Council members to serve as recruit- iners to meet their licensing requirements. We ers. If you know anyone who might be interested also had a record turn-out for the Easter Egg in supporting the Sea Services and joining our Hunt at the Coast Guard Station. Thanks to all Council, please invite them to one of our events. You can also refer them to the Council’s website that helped out, especially to Shelley Beck who (www.browardnavyleague.org) so they can review pulled it all together. photos of past events, previous editions of the Looking ahead, our April Council dinner meeting will Council newsletter as well as other information be on Thursday, April 9th at Tropical Acres. Our that will allow them to learn more about what we guest speaker is CAPT Melissa Bert, Chief of do. Annual national dues for an individual are Staff of the Seventh Coast Guard District in Mi- $65 and for a husband/wife are $117. ami, who will speak to us about the wide range of Coast Guard missions in the Southeastern United States and the Caribbean. Due to the Fleet Week events in May, we will be holding a joint meeting with the Fort Lauderdale Council at the Coral Ridge Yacht Club on Wednesday, May 20th. Stay tuned for details. GUEST SPEAKER Captain Melissa Bert be- the Sea. She has taught as an adjunct professor came the Coast Guard at George Washington University and Florida In- Seventh District Chief of ternational University. Captain Bert was also a mil- Staff in June 2014. Just itary fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations prior, she served as the (CFR) in New York. Chief of the Coast Guard's Maritime and Her honors include the United Way American Val- International Law Divi- ues Award, a Legion of Merit, three Meritorious sion, where her office Service Medals, three CG Commendation Medals, supported International an Achievement Medal, and a Voluntary Service Maritime Organization Medal. She was awarded the Young Military Law- engagement and provided yer of the Year for the Coast Guard by the Amer- legal advice to the Oper- ican Bar Association in 1997. In May 2006, she ations Directorate on the Coast Guard’s maritime received the Judge Advocates Association Out- safety, security and stewardship missions – includ- standing Career Armed Services Attorney Award. ing drug and migrant interdiction, homeland securi- ty, search and rescue, pollution response, port and She is a life member of the Council on Foreign Re- vessel safety and security, Outer Continental Shelf lations and founded the Coast Guard Women’s regulation, fisheries law enforcement, counter- Leadership Initiative, an active endowment of the terrorism and piracy initiatives, Arctic stewardship, Coast Guard Academy Alumni Association. and environmental protection. Captain Bert’s Coast Guard career has encompassed operational and legal tours. She served aboard two USNA GLEE CLUB cutters, including as Executive Officer of the Cut- ter Red Birch in Baltimore, Maryland. During the attacks of 9/11, she was the Operations Officer Several Council members attended the U. S. Naval for Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles/Long Beach, Academy Men’s Glee Club’s concert on March 14, California, where she was responsible for port se- 2015. The Glee Club performed a variety of songs curity, search and rescue, and law enforcement in including Broadway hits and patriotic tunes. The the ports and coastline of Southern California. performance was held at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale. From 2009 - 2011, she was the Commander of Coast Guard Sector Juneau and Captain of the Port for Southeastern Alaska. The Sector was responsi- ble for overseeing a wide array of maritime opera- tions and activities in Southeast Alaska. As a judge advocate, she served as the Deputy Staff Judge Advocate for the Seventh District in Miami, FL, was a Military Judge, and Special Assistant United States Attorney (SAUSA). Captain Bert is a graduate of the Coast Guard Academy and George Washington University Law School. She also holds a Command and Staff de- gree in Strategic Studies from the Naval War Col- lege. From 2008 – 2009, she was a national securi- ty fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, where she focused on Arctic development and the Law of FLEET WEEK 2015 The planning meeting continues for Fleet Week JUNIOR OFFICER PARTY 2015 which will be held from May 4 – May 10 with Tuesday, May 5, 6:00 – 9:00 PM the following ships tentatively scheduled to partic- Briny’s Irish Pub & Restaurant ipate: USS COLE, USS JAMES E. WILLIAMS, (Las Olas Riverfront) USS NEW HAMPSHIRE, USS WASP, and USCGC 305 S. Andrews Avenue, Fort Lauderdale RICHARD ETHERIDGE. As in the past, there will Hosted by Broward County Council be numerous events that the Navy League mem- Two Free Dinks for those in Uniform bers and the general public can attend. Volun- Civilians welcome (cash bar) teers are needed to assist with these events. You Buffet for all in attendance can register to become a volunteer on the Broward Any questions, contact Erwin Sefton, 954-868- Navy Days website (browardnavydaysinc.org). 2107, [email protected] Listed below are some of the public events that ENLISTED PERSON OF THE YEAR RECEPTION Council members may want to attend: Thursday, May 7, 6:00 - 9:00 PM Hyatt Regency Pier 66 ALL HANDS ON DECK WELCOMING PARTY 2301 SE 17th Street, Fort Lauderdale Monday, MAY 4 – 6:00 — 10:00 PM Hosted by Fort Lauderdale Council Seminole Hard rock Hotel & Casino Paradise Shops Any questions, contact Lynn Drucker, Courtyard, 1 Seminole Way, Hollywood [email protected]; 954-325-9102 SHIP TOURS PORT EVERGLADES, TERMINAL 21 Registration required on browardnavydaysinc.org Tuesday, May 5: 9-11:30 AM and 1-4 PM Wednesday, May 6: 9-11 AM and 2-4 PM Thursday, May 7: 9-11:30 AM and 1-4 PM Friday, May 8, 9-11:30 AM and 1-4 PM (all ships except Wasp) Saturday, May 9: 9-11:30 A. and 1-4 PM FLEET WEEK PORT EVERGLADES GOLF CLASSIC Tuesday, May 5, 7:30 AM – 3:00 PM Fort Lauderdale Golf & Country Club 415 Country Club Circle, Plantation Registration required, contact POC Pete Swanson 954-821-2867, [email protected] SALUTE TO VETERANS Tuesday, May 5, 11 AM – 1:00 PM Independence Hall at Marrinson Senior Care Resi- dences, 1639 NE 26th Street, Fort Lauderdale The Salute to Veterans is an event where active duty service members mingle and visit with veter- ans. Independence Hall, Marrinson Senior Care Residences is a retirement community where many of the residents are veterans of World War II and the Korean War, and they look forward to interacting with young service members. RETIREMENTS CALENDAR OF EVENTS The Council will say good-bye to The South Florida Coast Guard Officers Association Rear Admiral Stephen E. Mehling will be holding their annual Coast Guard Gala on as he retires from the United April 18.